Beach Boys return Aug. 12 to Indian Ranch in Webster

Thursday

Maybe one of the reasons is that the Beach Boy was one of the first notable pop musicians to take up Transcendental Meditation 50 years ago, learning from the legendary master Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Asked if he still practices TM, Love replied "I do. Every day."

Among the resultant mental and health benefits, "I have the energy to do lots and lots of shows," Love said. "Probably around 150 this year."

Love, 77, and the Beach Boys will be returning to Indian Ranch for a show at 2 p.m. today, Aug. 12. Fans can expect plenty of the group's hits such as "I Get Around," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "God Only Knows" and "Kokomo."

There will be nine people on stage, including Love, the only founding member of the Beach Boys who will be at Indian Ranch, longtime member Bruce Johnston and Love's son, Christian Love.

When it comes to performing live, Mike Love still wants to do it again. "The live music part of it, seeing it, feeling the audience response, that's where it all comes to life," Love said during a recent telephone interview.

The group was formed in 1961 with brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine (after some slight shuffling, Bruce Johnston came on board in 1965). Love’s baritone and Brian Wilson’s falsetto were part of the intricate vocal harmonies that made the group so distinctive. Brian Wilson wrote most of the music, and Love many of the lyrics. Phenomenal success ensued - an "endless summer" that hasn't ended.

Asked what the secret to the music's ongoing appeal might be, Love replied, "I think the secret of it, for me, when we were getting together it was not because we were going to be famous. Not because of any precedence. The real core of it was getting together and harmonizing and creating that blend, that love of harmony. For some reason that warmth, that sound, has a way of transcending ... To me it's always been that sound. That pure joy of harmony."

But according to Love, eventually there were "two groups. One was the recording group and one was the touring group."

There was overlap. But for Love, "the most fun time was when I was touring. I've always enjoyed it more than in the studio ... The studio is a necessary tool. Some people thrive in that environment. My cousin Brian, he actually left the (touring) Beach Boys to concentrate on the studio. Some people love the studio."

It is now widely assumed that the interpersonal relationships among the Beach Boys may not have been all fun in the sun. Brian Wilson’s breakdown and recovery has been well-documented. Love with Johnston and fellow musicians have legally performed as the Beach Boys without Brian Wilson (Carl and Dennis Wilson are deceased) and Jardine for several years. A 50th anniversary tour in 2012 — the group signed with Capitol Records in 1962 — brought Love, Johnston, Wilson, Jardine and David Marks, another early member of the band, back together. They also recorded an album. But subsequently it was announced that the Beach Boys would revert to the Love/Johnston lineup for future shows — without Wilson, Jardine and Marks.

The Love/Johnston Beach Boys have performed several times at Indian Ranch. Last year, Brian Wilson performed the classic Beach Boys album "Pet Sounds" at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester.

Love, in this interview as well as in previous interviews, sounded calm but pretty direct about any controversy involving Beach Boys members. There are some things in the past that have been "mischaracterized," Love said. "There's been a lot printed and a lot videoed and filmed about the Beach Boys." For his part, Love said he set out to set the record straight in his 2016 book, "Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy."

Love said, "There's some interest in making the book perhaps a play."

Just a few days later, Love, Brian Wilson, Jardine, Marks and Johnston were being interviewed together for the first time since 2012 by Carl Reiner for a Q&A session for SiriusXM. The interview was to promote a new album, "The Beach Boys With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra," an arrangement by the London orchestra of original classic Beach Boys vocal tracks. "Brian and I connect on a pretty primordial level," Love told Rolling Stone afterwards. "We’re usually on our own trajectories. It’s very nice to get together."

A harmony had once again transcended.

Early in 1968, Love was with the Beatles, Donovan, Prudence Farrow and Mia Farrow at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in India. Love and George Harrison became friends for life.

"That was a life-changing experience," Love said. "Whereas other people made other lifestyle choices, I chose Transcendental Meditation."

But speaking of "back in the day," Love and the Beach Boys have a relationship with Worcester that transcends his history with TM.

"We have a history with Worcester going back over 50 years," Love noted.

Particularly at the legendary former El Morocco restaurant on Wall Street in Worcester. When the band was in the area in the 1960s, that's where they would go after a show. "Originally it was a little old house in the neighborhood. After a concert it was open late. It was very friendly. The family was really nice with their customers." Love became friends with the family and has stayed in touch.

The person that introduced the Beach Boys to "the El" was the late Al Coury, who was born in Worcester and became legendary in his own right as a record executive and "the greatest promotions man of all time."

As for coming to Indian Ranch for the past few years, "it's a neat summertime venue. A pretty lake," Love said.

For the shows Love said he likes to go "retro" at first with early hits such as "Surfin' Safari" and then on to "Do It Again" and "a few of the newer songs." Last year Love released a new solo album, "Unleash the Love."

"But I've always been of the opinion that people come to see you do the songs they they know you from. It's a fun show. It gets a little melancholy and serious ("God Only Knows," "Warmth of the Sun") ... "We usually end with 'Fun, Fun, Fun.' "